At the Network’s Family Services meeting on June 14, providers offered the following update and call for help:
In both Springfield and West Springfield, assistance is needed to help families complete housing intake and assessment forms. If you have experience helping clients complete forms, you are qualified for the job. Any amount of your time or your staff’s time would be greatly appreciated and extremely useful as the need continues to be overwhelming. To offer your assistance, please contact:
In Springfield: Jim Reis, HAPHousing at jreis@haphousing.org.
In West Springfield: Jane Banks, Center for Human Development, jbanks@chd.org
In West Springfield, there is also a need for translators for many different languages from the Middle-East and Asia. If you have services to offer, particularly on-site, please contact Jane Banks (contact info. above).
The work of HAPHousing, Center for Human Development and New England Farm Workers’ Council in these emergency shelters has been extraordinary since the tornado struck. We know Catholic Charities and Springfield Partners have also been incredible partners with the City, DHCD and the American Red Cross. The Network as a whole expressed its gratitude for everyone stepping forward with an already stretched-thin staff and incredible demand and stretching even further, working untold hours, without any additional funding or staff to match. We are all very proud and grateful and we expressed our commitment to do what we can to help ease the load. Every hour of your time could make a real difference – please join us!
